Two fraudsters who scammed multiple vulnerable people in Watford out of thousands of pounds have been jailed for over eight years.
Ishmail Sarwar, 24, of High Road, Willesden, and Zhaigham Kiyani, 26, of Craigmuir Park, Wembley, were involved in courier fraud offences between October 2019 and January 2020, in which they contacted vulnerable people, pretending to be a ‘DC Martin Rose’.
The victims were informed that their bank accounts were being used by fraudsters and asked to withdraw money, purchase high-value items or provide bank cards. A courier was then dispatched to the victims’ addresses to collect these items.
The men conned more than £10,000 out of victims in Watford and Welwyn Garden City.
The men were found in possession of a mobile phone upon arrest which contained a script in the name of DC Martin Rose, that they read out when contacting the victims. The phone also contained a voice recording of a call to a victim.
Both men appeared at court on April 21, pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud.
On Tuesday, May 18, Sarwar was sentenced to four years 10 months imprisonment and Kiyani was sentenced to four years imprisonment at St Albans Crown Court.
Detective Inspector Rob Burns, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: “Courier fraud has been a significant concern in the county for a number of years. They often target vulnerable victims who can lose thousands of pounds to these scams.
“It can be very difficult to catch those responsible, they often change tactics when a scam becomes known but they very good at convincing their victims to part with money and they are often long gone by the time the police are alerted.
“Anyone in a similar situation should be aware that police officers will never contact you in this way or ask you to withdraw money, make electronic transfers or purchase goods and vouchers. If you are in any doubt, contact the police on 101 using a different phone.”
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